Mental Health Benefits of Golf: Boosting Mood, Reducing Anxiety and Building Connection

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve all become more aware of mental health challenges, the importance of addressing them, and the various ways they can be mitigated. Uncertainty, loss, and isolation have contributed to higher instances of depression and anxiety. Exercise and socializing are two ways to help maintain good mental health and reduce the risk of depression and anxiety.

The mental health benefits of golf offer a great way to easily combine exercise and socializing and support your mental health. Here are three primary reasons hitting the course is good for your brain.

How Golf Helps Depression and Anxiety

You may have heard of a ‘runner’s high.’ Many runners experience an exhilarating feeling during a great race or even during an everyday jog. However, running isn’t the only way to release endorphins, the brain’s “feel-good” neurotransmitters. Any form of exercise, including golf, can produce these mood-boosting chemicals.

For women, this can be particularly important. Many experts estimate that women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression. The number could be even higher for those who suffer from depression, but do not have a formal diagnosis.

In an Australian study, researcher Kristiann Heesch looked at the effect of exercise on women’s depression. The results of her study showed that women who averaged 150 minutes of moderate exercise (golf, tennis, aerobics classes, swimming, or dancing) or 200 minutes of walking every week, had more energy, were more social, and felt better emotionally. These same women were not as limited by their depression, even three years after the study.

Endorphins also help ease anxiety, which is the most common mental health concern in the United States. According to data from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), over 40 million adults in the U.S. (19.1%) have an anxiety disorder.

The exposure to sunshine when playing golf also has mental health benefits. Research has linked vitamin D deficiency with instances of depression and other mental health struggles. Even a cloudy day on the golf course provides the sun exposure required to optimize your vitamin D levels.

Golf as Stress Relief and Green Exercise

Most people encounter periods of stress in their lives. However, when stress becomes chronic, it can affect other components of health.

The National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) reports that repeated stress can disrupt the functioning of the immune, digestive, cardiovascular, sleep, and reproductive systems. Even more cause for concern, the continued strain that stress places on your body may contribute to serious health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and mental illness.

Chronic stress also negatively impacts the brain through memory problems, and weakened mental health. Stress can lead to neural atrophy, or actual shrinking of the brain.

The restorative impact of the endorphins from a round of golf, along with the meditative nature of the focus it requires may help reduce stress. Additionally, exercising outdoors, or “green exercise,” is actually better than indoor exercise when it comes to stress reduction.

Shedding your tensions during the course of playing nine or 18 holes can leave you feeling calmer, clearer, more focused, and ready to manage both daily and extraordinary challenges in your life.

Golf for Social Connection and Loneliness

Humans are naturally social beings. Although we’re not all social butterflies, interaction with others has been shown to improve overall health and well-being. This is one of the reasons so many individuals suffered with mental health concerns during the COVID pandemic: being forced to isolate themselves from friends and family for weeks or even months at a time. Loneliness is a factor in poor mental health outcomes.

Research has revealed that person-to-person interaction triggers the nervous system to release a combination of neurotransmitters that regulate the body’s response to stress and anxiety. Dopamine is another feel-good chemical produced by the brain, which has a compounding effect on one’s mental health.

“It’s part of our reward center, and when our brain produces dopamine in response to what we do, we feel good and want to do more of whatever it is that’s making us feel so mentally healthy. That, in turn, leads to even more dopamine production,” explains Tanya J. Peterson, NCC, DAIS, a mental health educator.

Playing golf with your friends, spouse, or colleagues can help reap these socialization benefits. Aviv Clinics clients already enjoy the camaraderie naturally fostered by their hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions in our state-of-the-art HBOT suites. Golf games provide more opportunities for socializing and improving their overall experience.

Supporting Brain Health Beyond the Golf Course

The clinical team at Aviv Clinics understands that good mental health isn’t just about what happens in your mind. Our mental health is also shaped by what we do with our bodies. Whether it comes from golf or another source, physical activity, cognitive stimulation, social connection, and time outdoors all play a role in supporting a healthy, resilient brain.

That’s why Aviv’s personalized treatment plans can be custom-designed to support both brain and body performance. Our goal is to help clients feel more energized, focused, and emotionally well. Whether it’s getting back to your favorite activities like golf or feeling more present and connected with loved ones, our multidisciplinary team can help you achieve your cognitive and physical goals.

If you’re ready to take a proactive approach to your mental wellness and cognitive health, we invite you to learn more about how the Aviv Medical Program can help.